National Democrats are targeting two Republican-held U.S. House seats in Southern Iowa in their quest to retake control of the U.S. House of Representatives in this fall’s general election.
The national campaign arm of the U.S. House Democrats announced Monday that Christina Bohannan and Lanon Baccam, democratic congressional challengers to Iowa Republican U.S. Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Zach Nunn, are part of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s “Red to Blue” program which devotes resources and support to competitive districts.
U.S. House Republicans hold onto the chamber by a razor-thin margin, and with the recent ouster of New York Republican George Santos Republicans only hold a four-vote majority, with 221 seats opposed to Democrats 213 seats.
The program targets campaigns with strong grassroots support and strong fundraising numbers identifying strong campaigns to take incumbent seats.
Bohannan boasts fundraising, grassroots support
Bohannan is running her second campaign to oust Miller-Meeks in Iowa’s 1st Congressional District, which consists of 20 counties in southeast Iowa. Bohannan ran an unsuccessful bid to oust Miller-Meeks in 2022 losing by more than 20,000 votes.
Bohannan has highlighted Miller-Meeks’ anti-abortion stance hoping to appeal to the Iowans who support women’s access to abortion.
Bohannan, a University of Iowa law professor, has boasted a strong fundraising record in her current bid after raising over $250,000 in the first 24 hours after her campaign launch last August. Bohannan raised $1.3 million in 2023, according to a news release from her campaign on Monday.
Bohannan said her grassroots supporters and robust campaign fundraising put her in a position to oust Miller-Meeks in November’s election.
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“This campaign is powered by thousands of Iowans who are making it clear they want new leadership,” Bohannan said in a news release on Monday. “This momentum shows my message is resonating and I have no doubt it will propel us to victory in November.”
Stakes are high for Democrats in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District
Baccam is one of two Democrats vying for Nunn’s seat. Nunn represents Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District which consists of 21 counties in central and south-central Iowa, including Iowa’s most populous county, Polk.
Nunn beat incumbent Democrat Cindy Axne in 2022 by over 2,000 votes.
Baccam, a former U.S. Department of Agriculture official, broke fundraising records in the last quarter of 2023, raising over $500,000 in just seven weeks, according to a news release from his campaign.
Baccam said the stakes are high in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District this year with the balance of the U.S. House in the balance.
“We have the momentum to flip this seat and start delivering for our communities who have been left behind by politicians like Zach Nunn,” Baccam said in a news release on Monday. “Iowans are ready for change and we’re building the infrastructure to give them just that in November.”